Two sex offenders were on the run last night after escaping from HMP Prescoed, Monmouthshire, south Wales. John Elms, 34, and Martin Aspinall, 46, were serving life sentences for raping children and were described as dangerous.

Teenager hurt in roof fall

A 15-year-old boy was in intensive care with life-threatening injuries after falling off the roof of White Bridge Primary School in Greensted Road, Loughton, Essex. The teenager suffered neck, pelvis and head injuries.

Chaos at Barcelona airport

Ten thousand Britons had their travel plans thrown into chaos as Barcelona airport recovered from the aftermath of a strike. Around 2,000 ground staff working for Iberia blocked the runway, forcing flights to be cancelled. The military were called in when they refused to move.

Racist attack in Salford

Two Asian men were set upon by a gang of youths in a 'racially motivated' attack, police said. The men, aged 24 and 30, were beaten with sticks and branches. The men were attacked in Irlam o'th' Heights, Salford, by up to 10 white youths.

A snake in the grass?

An industrial estate was sealed off as police and RSPCA officers searched for what was thought to be a rattlesnake in the undergrowth. Police were called to Bonehill Road in Tamworth, Staffordshire, after a man spotted what he said was a two-metre-long, light brown snake near the Wincanton distribution depot. But the RSPCA said the animal was unlikely to be a rattlesnake, as all dangerous reptiles must be registered with the local authority.